sharing my imperfect journey through life.

Prepping for a New Season

If you’ve been following me on Instagram or we’re friends on Facebook (or in real life) you already know this, but if not… my husband and I are expecting our first baby and it’s a boy! We are thrilled and through the roof about it.

Pregnancy Announcement

Gender Reveal

Overall, pregnancy has been a fun experience. Telling our friends and family the exciting news, feeling him move for the first time, watching my belly grow and eventually physically move due to his movements, reading about his development and being in complete awe of the masterpiece/ miracle that is growing a baby. It is such a beautiful and wonderful gift and he’s not even here yet!

But there have also been some not-so-fun parts of pregnancy and honestly a lot of it is really normal. Even though there have been issues that have arisen, I am thankful for my natural toolbox: diet and my essential oils. doTERRA to be specific.

Below is a list of the symptoms I felt and experienced and what worked best for me! This is not an all encompassing list nor will it be a list for everyone. I am by no means a doctor or expert on the matter. These are just some items and tools that worked for me and my experience. I hope you or someone you know who is pregnant finds help or at least a starting point.

During the First Trimester, I experienced:

Nausea – Sometimes this is just an unstoppable force, but the best thing that worked for me for this was DigestZen. Luckily I only “saw my biscuits” come back up 4 times. Most mornings and for a good portion of the day nausea was a struggle, but DigestZen eased my symptoms. I put a drop of oil on my hand and rubbed it on my tummy over my stomach. If it was really bad, I would also rub some of it under my nose.Breast Tenderness – This is a normal, but in my opinion a weird thing. It’s all hormone related and is part of your body preparing for baby. What helped ease some of my symptoms was ClaryCalm, also known as the Women’s Blend. It’s a great blend used for all woman needs all month long. I rolled this blend over the sensitive area in the mornings or when symptoms were worse.SI Joint Issues – This isn’t completely normal (for any newly expectant moms), but what is normal is all of the Relaxin (a hormone, not a state of being) going through your body. It makes all of your joints extra flexible and is something to be aware of. Mine went a little crazy around my hip and caused my pelvic bone to move and then get stuck (it’s about as fun as it sounds). The best thing I did for this was scheduling an appointment with a Physical Therapist. This is something that has lasted for my whole pregnancy and will hopefully be a thing of the past once baby is delivered but I learned some invaluable tools from my PT and was able to do more physically, especially once the nausea subsided. For some immediate relief from some of the discomfort, Deep Blue was a miracle worker for me. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s like a natural Icy Hot and is great on muscle tension and joint discomfort.Stretch Marks – This is also a really normal and common symptom, but I wasn’t expecting it on my hips within the first trimester. These are still something that I have but what helped ease the intensity of the marks (even as I continued to grow) was a drop of each of the following oils in a big blob of an unscented lotion: Helichrysum, Aromatouch and Cypress.Fatigue – For me, this symptom never let up. What helped ease these feelings when the symptoms were really bad, a drop of each of Peppermint and Wild Orange were a great blend to smell and rub on my neck.Mood Swings – Again, this a hormone thing and is really common. Sometimes I would cry for no reason. It’s just the way it is. My favorite oils for my mood swings were Balance, Peace and Forgive. Like their names suggest, these oils are great at bringing me back to reality and not letting my hormones get too crazy.

During the Second Trimester, the new symptoms I experienced were:

Acid Reflux – This (and heartburn) are very common as you get further along in your pregnancy. The biggest game changer for me was switching up my diet. Gluten and milk dairy are my biggest triggers. Sometimes though, there is no way around it – you’re on a road trip or at some fancy dinner place and there are no options within the dietary restrictions. In this case, Papaya Enzymes (from a natural grocery store) or DigestZen Tablets are they way to go!

During the Third Trimester, the new symptoms I experienced were:

Hemorrhoids – This isn’t a fun thing to talk about, but I’m about to get real with you. This happens. It’s not uncommon this late in pregnancy and especially in labor. In fact, you can get one just because you’re pregnant (no straining required). You’re baby is getting bigger and putting a lot of pressure on all your innards and this is a natural side effect that won’t really go away until after you’ve welcomed your little one into the world. My doctor had suggested Tuck’s wipes which started to help until I had a reaction to the wipes. The rash cleared up with a drop of Arborvitae and a drop of Lavender. Cypress does wonders for the skin irritation by helping it not get any bigger and reducing some of irritating symptoms related to it.Puffy Feet/Ankles – Luckily here in Oregon we’ve had a relatively cold start to summer (besides the beginning of this week). Puffiness has been relatively minimal unless I’m overly active. Deep Blue Rub and a drop of Aromatouch are great for circulation and really help with my puffy/achy feet.Leg Cramps – This took me by surprise one night and now I want to do everything to help prevent it from happening again (especially in the middle of the night). I’ve been eating a banana each day and elevating my feet with a pillow while I’m sleeping. If I start to experience a cramp, I will flex my foot (the opposite of what my body wants me to do). If there is lingering discomfort due to the intensity of the cramp, Deep Blue comes to the rescue again!Sleep Issues – Another common pregnancy issue is sleep, especially as you and baby grow and turning from side to side gets harder. A body pillow can often be your saving grace as well as some lavender on the bottoms of your feet and on your belly. Another great option is the Serenity tablets or even just diffusing Serenity (Restful Blend) while sleeping.

All of these oils can be found on the link provided on the essential oils tab above. What are some of your favorite, natural remedies for ailments while pregnant?

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One thought on “Prepping for a New Season”

Good call tackling the physical therapy early! I ignored and put it off til after the twins were born. It all kinda came to a head after they arrived though. My bavk would start locking up and I literally could not straighten it… which works great when your trying to lay a baby down… That being said, lavender and deep blue were my “go to”s during my pregnancy. most of the time it ended up in the bath with me. I even made some bath bombs that included a couple essential oils. Those were a great way to relax when my back was ridiculously angry with me and the 12 1/2 lbs of baby I was hauling around lol

lindsay ralene.

I am a twenty-something newlywed and a boy mom to our son, Nolan, with a heart for the creative, finding natural solutions for daily life, and want to glorify God with the gifts that he has given me. This blog is my outlet for my adventures, creative endeavors, and a place to reflect on where life takes me and share some tidbits along the way.